All That Mattered
by XorderlyXchaosXnXconfusionX
Summary: She wasn't meant to be with him, and they both knew it. She had obligations and promises to her side, to Ron, and yet she still fell in love with him. It was only a question of choosing her heart or her obligations that would determine their fate. Oneshot


I just own the plot. So ©opyright on the plot ©.

A/N: I do realize that during the story I never refer to Hermione as Hermione, okay maybe a few times, only as she and I never refer to Draco as Draco, okay maybe a few times here too, only as he...it was sort of on purpose. Sorry if that gets annoying.

Warnings: This has bits of fluff (yes, gag, I know) scenes, anger scenes, and sex scenes. Oh and tad bits of language.

* * *

She looked into his light blue eyes; he looked back, his gaze full of love and happiness. 

It crushed her.

"Dearly beloved," Dumbledore magnified his voice to the chapel full of old school friends, acquaintances, family members, and many wizarding news journalists. "We are gathered here today to join in holy matrimony two of our favorite heros: Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley."

_She rolled over on her side and came face to face with a pair of steel gray eyes. She gasped softly, the penetrating gaze catching her off guard._

_"How long have you been awake?" She asked. _

_"Long enough," was his simple reply. "Are you sore?" _

_"A little," she answered. _

_He smirked and she rolled her eyes in return. _

_"Don't you dare tell me, 'I told you so'. Honestly, you're too bloody arrogant." _

_"Yes, but you love me for it," he told her as he wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her closer._

_"Hmm, maybe." She scooted away._

_"Maybe?" He asked in quiet disbelief. _

_She nodded as her hand reached out and toyed with the chain she had given him for Christmas that hung around his neck._

_"Well," he grabbed her wrists and pulled her close to him, maneuvering her so she couldn't escape his grasp. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "You seemed to love me quiet a lot last night." _

_Last night._

_Their bodies had been so close, so in sync together, rocking in a rhythm only they could feel. Sweating, panting, moaning. She blushed crimson at the memory._

_"What," he had seen her red faced, "don't tell me you're getting all shy on me now." He leaned in and nibbled on her earlobe. "You're so bloody gorgeous like that, all flushed and what not." _

_Her breathing deepened as his hand left her wrist and trailed slowly down her arm first, then followed the curve of her body down to her hip. She quickly moved her free hand to fist its self into his hair and pull him into a passionate kiss. She felt him smile as she wrapped her legs around his waist and began rocking herself against him._

_He pulled his lips from hers and traveled down to her neck. _

_"Merlin, Granger, you're bloody amazing." _

_"Please," she gasped, "I need you, Malfoy."_

His lips were in a permanent, sloppy smile that made her stomach twinge. She was doing the right thing. Wasn't she? Yes, she was.

_"Granger, Granger, Granger," she heard his malicious drawl come around the corner of a bookshelf. _

_"Go away, Malfoy." She clenched her teeth while she spoke. _

_"Or what, little mudblood, you're going to cast a spell on me?" He gave a sharp, mocking laugh. "Please, you're spells probably aren't even effective, on the count of you're not a real witch and all." _

_She stood so suddenly the chair she had been previously sitting in flipped onto the floor, her wand raised to his chin level quicker than he could blink his eyes. Please, had he not been in her classes through out her entire time at Hogwarts?_

_"Care to test that, Malfoy?" She spoke clearly, her nerves very well hidden as she raised an eyebrow. _

_"Go for it," he taunted. "Go ahead, hex me you stupid goody-goody-Gryffindor." He glared at her with disgust. _

_She glared back._

_"Oh, no, that's right," he mocked. "You wouldn't dare do anything that would ruin your precious reputation of good girl, Gryffindor's Princess, The-boy-who-wouldn't-die's best bushy-haired friend, and mate of the poorest blood traitor in all of the wizarding world." _

_His words burned through her, lacing her veins with anger. He smirked when he saw her red face and she realized that was just what he wanted. She took a step back, not daring to lower her wand. _

_"Go on, Granger, you know you want to." _

_She smiled slightly, shook her head at him as if he was one of her danger seeking best friends who had just come up with a crazy new thing to try._

_She turned to her books and started stacking them up._

_"What are you doing, you stupid mudblood?" She didn't even have to look at his face to realize he was outraged. "You're going to run away like a coward?" He gave another hollow laugh. _

_She gathered her now stacked books in her arms and turned her head towards him. _

_"You're the coward, Malfoy, and you're so not worth it," she said simply. _

_His eyes followed her out of the library. _

She felt him squeeze her hands tightly and then release after a moment. She looked down to her hands and stared at them, joined with his. His freckled hands so clumsy, his fingers so long. She watched as her imagination morphed them into another pair.

_A body pressed up against her back and before she had the chance to scream a hand locked over her mouth. Of course that didn't stop her from trying to scream out anyways. _

_Her captor dragged her, kicking all the way, around the corner and into a broom closet where he released her after he placed a silencing spell on the room. _

_"Who the bloody hell are you and let-me-go!" Her last three words rushed together and her screech made even her own ears hurt. _

_"Shut up," hissed her captor. At least now she could conclude it was a male. _

_Suddenly a hard body pressed against her, shoving her into the brooms and other supplies that happened to be against the very same wall. She felt breath on the side of her neck and below her ear._

_"What are you doing to me, Granger?" His voice was low and his breath was warm against her skin. _

_"Malfoy?" She asked, suddenly breathless._

_She felt his forehead match against hers. _

_"Merlin, I hate you, I hate you so much I wish your stupid muggle parents had never been foolish enough to bring you into this world where you are _not_ wanted," he spat viciously. "But then," he growled, "but then I see you reading a book, chewing on your bottom lip as your eyes skim over the words." He brought his fist down against the wall. "I watch as your filthy hand flies into the air and wave around frantically until you're called on in class." She felt his body leave from against hers and she began trembling. "I watched you scold your best friends for stupid things that teenage boys were supposed to be doing at that age; though after they didn't come back this year I can't say I wasn't glad you were left here all by yourself. I saw you laugh at their dumb jokes, and put up with their conversations that I'm sure had absolutely no interest to you. I watch your eyes narrow at any new information presented to you, or when you're trying to figure something out. Or how your eyebrow raises when you're trying to hide your nerves and play it cool and your chin raises ever so slightly, like-like this," she felt his fingers cool against her skin as they raised her chin up a fraction of an inch. "And your pride, Merlin, your bloody pride. It's obnoxious really." There were a few deep breaths. "But I can't help it. I can't bloody help how my stomach ties into fucking knots when ever I see your damned bushy hair." She felt his hand run through her hair. "It's not as natty as I expected though," he murmured to himself, though the room was so quiet there was no way she wouldn't have heard it. "I just don't understand it," he told her, resignation evident in her voice. "Please-please just-I don't know what-" His body was against hers again and she could feel his breath coming in short puffs against her lips. He grabbed her hand and she struggled for a moment before she realized he put it over his heart. "Do you feel that?" _

_"Yes," she whispered. _

_The beating of his heart was erratic._

_"Why," he breathed, "why in Merlin's name did the one person who has this effect on me have to be you?" He snarled. _

_"I-I-" She was at loss for words. _

_"Did you do something to me?" His voice held anger in it._

_"N-no."_

_"You did, didn't you?" He ignored her protests. "What did you do? What did you do, you filthy little mudblood?" _

_"Stop it! I didn't do anything you moronic ferret! Let me go!" She struggled against him. "Stop-"_

_Her words cut themselves off as he grabbed her face and pulled her to meet his lips. Of course, the closet still being dark he missed the first time and came in contact with her cheek bone. She gasped as she realized his intention was to kiss her; and then he did. His lips met hers and his arms held her against him. She moaned into his mouth as their lips began moving against each other, her hands crawling their way up to his head. _

_She ran her hands into his hair and fisted them there. As his tongue swept her lip she yanked his head back, causing him to stumble into a few stacked buckets behind him. She opened the broom closet's door and hurried out, though not with out getting a last glance at her captor. Malfoy sat haphazardly strewn across the buckets, his hair a wild mess and his cheeks a flush pink. She could still see his chest moving with his heavy breaths which echoed in her mind as she ran around the corner and down the hallway._

She smiled, and he thought it was because she was happy. Her head lifted to face him and she saw his grin grow at the sight of hers. She instantly stopped smiling with a cold gutted feeling.

This wasn't the same man.

Her eyes wandered his face, looking anywhere but his eyes.

Their parents lit the top candle behind them from the flames of the two different candles, representing the joining of the families.

Ron's smile faltered, but returned full fledged when he figured it was probably just her nerves making her avoid his eyes. His little Hermione.

As if she knew what he was thinking, she looked away from his face all together, too guilt ridden to look at his face.

_"Mine," he whispered against her lips. _

_"Yes," she whispered back. _

_"Say it," he pleaded, his voice still low and husky. _

_"Yours," she said._

_"Always mine." He kissed her._

_"Forever." she nodded frantically. _

_He ran his hands along her body beneath him, a thin layer of forest green sheet _

_"Promise?" He smirked as he continued moving against her, his hips in slow, drawn out thrusts and she arched against him. _

_"Promise." _

_She moaned as he leaned down and kissed her again. _

_"Don't ever forget, Granger." _

_"Never," she raked her nails down his back and moaned._

This wasn't right.

No, no, it was right.

"And now a reading from the brilliant journals of Merlin," Dumbledore spoke out.

She took a deep breath telling herself not to flee.

It was just how things were supposed to end. She knew that before and she'd remember it until death do them part.

_"What is it you want, Malfoy?" She asked, contempt in her voice._

_"Why, Granger, I thought that'd be clear by now." He leaned into her, his lips right by her ear. Her heart beats sped up. "I want you."_

_"Stop it, Malfoy," she whispered quietly. "I don't know why you're doing this but playing with peoples emotions is immature even for you."_

_"Why don't you stop trying to ignore it? I know you feel something too." He cupped her cheek in his hand. _

_"I feel nothing but hatred for you." She turned her head away from his hand._

_"So why'd you kiss me the other day?" He buried his head in her neck. "Hmm? Or, how about this, why did you kiss me behind the bookshelves in the library? Or after transfiguration behind the statue?" He rubbed his body against hers. _

_"Okay, so I feel something." She nodded and felt him smirk against her neck. "I also feel that it's only temporary." His smirk left his face. "Ron is waiting for me, Malfoy. We're the ones meant to be, not you and I. He's waiting for me, and I'm waiting for him." _

_"What on Earth are you talking about?" He pressed kisses into the side of her neck and trailed them up to her ear._

_"Before Ron and Harry left, Ron promised me he'd wait until the end of the year to come back for me and we'd be together." He stilled. "And I promised myself to him when he came back. I told him I'd wait for him too."_

_Her stomach plummeted when he swiftly moved away from her. _

_"I-I belong with him," she whispered looking away from him. _

_She hesitantly met his eyes and the expression on his face made her insides ache. _

_"Of course," he said bitterly._

_"What did you expect, Malfoy?" She turned away from him. "It's been known to the entire school that one day Ron and I would end up together. And you, my worst enemy, just figured you'd sweep in after years of torment and we'd fall in love and be together?" _

_He pushed her against the wall. _

_"I never said anything about love, Granger," he spat. _

_She exhaled a long sigh. _

_"Let go of me, Malfoy." To her surprise he complied after a moment of silence. "Ron and I will be together, and this," she waved her hand between them, "will be nothing but a distant memory." _

_He shook his head at her and turned, walking out of the room. She didn't call after him, and he never turned back to see her tear filled eyes._

"Matrimony is considered to be honorable and sacred among all wizarding folk. It is a magical experience and therefore not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but instead carefully, reverently, and lovingly. It is a..."

_"Bit ironic how this turned out, eh?" He chuckled._

_"How do you mean?" She played with the daisy in front of her as she lied on her stomach._

_"Us. How at the beginning of the year we hated each other, and now..." he trailed off._

_"And now," she finished for him, "I can't see myself loving anyone else." _

_His hand reached out to cover hers and the daisy. She turned her face to him._

_"I," he took a deep breath, "Oh, Merlin, I can't believe I'm about to say this. I'm turning into such a puff."_

_She laughed. _

_"I'm serious." He pulled his hand back and locked and unlocked his fingers together with the other hand that was attached to the arm and elbow he was propping himself up with. "I need to stop hanging around with you, Granger, you're horrible for a man's bad arsed-ness." _

_"Bad arsed-ness?" She laughed again. _

_"I'm serious, you know." He mumbled and looked off to the side._

_"So what, are you going to quit speaking to me now? Start avoiding me everywhere?" She said quietly as she pulled at the daisy's petals._

_She didn't know if she could handle that. Not after being so alone with out Harry and Ron for the entire year only to finally find _him_ and then have him taken away so soon; not to mention her dangerous feelings of love for him that should not have developed. _

_The pit of her stomach ached at the thought of them not being together._

_"No," he said. "No, I'm not really serious; I could never leave you alone even if I tried."_

_"Oh?" _

_"As if it isn't bloody obvious; I love you, Hermione Granger, and I can't see myself with anyone else, ever."_

_She turned her face to him and saw his penetrating stare, his words engraving themselves in her mind. _

_He leaned forward on impulse and kissed her. It was sweet, it was passionate, it was fiery, it was love. _

_"You can't leave me, Granger," he said against her lips as they pulled apart. "I couldn't take it." _

_She merely shook her head, unable to find words to describe the emotion she felt. Her hands reached up to his cheeks and she pulled him in for another kiss._

"Into this holy sanction, these two presented before you as witnesses come now to be joined."

_"I will in no way in hell ever join you on that-that _thing_!" She sputtered at him as she walked away._

_"Oh, Merlin, Granger! Get over it. You didn't want to be, as you said, 'one of my only physical relationship, whores,' so here. This is our," he swallowed and had a look of disgust gracing his face, "our d-date." He shuddered._

_"If you didn't want to go on a date with me then why didn't you just say so?" _

_"Because then you'd get all girly and huffy and puffy and, oh, I don't know, there might have even been tears and then you'd never speak to me again because you're trying to refrain from being a 'whore' or something and I don't fucking know!" He tossed his broom up in the air._

_"So wait, let me get this right." She turned to him. "You, Draco Malfoy, want to take me, Hermione Granger, on a _date_, just so I'll stick around?"_

_"Apparently," he mumbled, not meeting her eyes. _

_She tried to conceal her smile, but nothing worked. She figured it wouldn't do well to tease him though._

_"You call this a date?" _

_"You know, Granger, this is as close to a bloody date as you're going to get so just be bloody grateful already and get on the damned broom!" He walked away from her and towards where the broom had fallen after he threw it up. _

_"Thank you, Malfoy, for the thought." _

_He turned towards her, broom now in his hand, and cocked his head to the side. Did she just thank him? What was the bloody wizarding world coming to?_

_"But I can't get on that broom with you," she told him. _

_"And why not? You can't possibly be ashamed to be seen with me. I mean it's one o'clock in the morning, who the bloody hell is going to see us? And-"_

_"No, Malfoy, it's not that-"_

_"Then what? Were you just yanking me around? Seeing how far you could string me along? 'Oh,'" he mocked in a high pitched girly voice. "'Hee-hee, I got him to go on a date, what ever shall I test to see if he can do next?'" He paused for a moment just staring at her his face blank and then added, "'hee-hee'"._

_"Are you done acting like a baby?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking her nose in the air. _

_"A baby?" He all but exploded. "You know what-"_

_"I'm afraid of flying!" She had to scream to override his loud bellowing voice. _

_He quieted._

_"It's not that I don't want to be here with you, for some odd, ungodly, reason." She put her palm against her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut as she said the last few words. "But," she brought her face back up and met his eyes, "I'm deathly afraid of flying and I don't know if I trust you enough for that. No, I do know that I _don't_ trust you enough for that yet."_

_He pursed his lips and turned his head away._

_"What if we start of slow and get only just barely off the ground?" _

_She looked at him and narrowed her eyes in thought of his proposal. _

_"I promise, it'll be very slow and your legs will be able to touch the ground or will be not even an inch off."_

_"Okay," she told him after a moments thought._

_"Okay," he repeated._

"If any person has any reason why these two may not be joined together..."

_"Okay, okay, I'll open it now, breathe, will you? Besides I thought we weren't getting each other presents?"_

_"Well, I saw this and I figured it was perfect for you. Open it!"_

_She sat in his lap and his arms were around her, in her lap undoing the wrapping on the present she had bought him. _

_The smell of Christmas lingered in the air and the fire in the fireplace gave them a glow of content. _

_He opened the box and there lay a silver chain. He lifted it out of the box and a forest green glint flickered against the light of the fire._

_"It's made by the elves. Very fine jewelry makers, they are. It's silver alright, but, and I have no idea how they do this, when it catches in the light like so," she made the chain move and catch the light of the fire once more, "you can see a tint of green."_

_"Ah, very clever." _

_"Yes, I thought you'd like that what with the whole Slytherin," she wrinkled her nose, "colors and all."_

_He chuckled._

_"Do you like it?" She asked hesitantly._

_"It's brilliant. Thank you." _

_She leaned off to the side and tilted her head to look at him. _

_"What is this?" She gave a quick laugh. "Draco Malfoy, thanking _me_?"_

_He smirked. _

_"Oh, and erm, another thing about the jewelry. You know the elves and their craftiness, well, they put this kind of charm, I guess you could say, on the chain. It will always be as strong as our relationship, so that way it will never break." She smiled at the genius of it all._

_"I see," he whispered in her ear and traced kisses down her neck. "You're amazing."_

_She smiled again._

_"I know you already have a chain that you wear so if you don't wear this one I-" she paused at not seeing his chain. "Where's your chain?"_

_"Your turn," he evaded the subject._

_"What?"_

_"Open it," he told her as he shoved a box in her lap. _

_"Wait a second; first tell me what happened to your ch-"_

_"Granger, does it really matter? Just open the bloody present."_

_"Merlin," she mumbled as she turned her back to him and began opening the present._

_Inside held his chain._

_She turned to look at him, her eyes narrowed in confusion. _

_"I want you to wear it," he told her._

_"Why?" _

_He rolled his eyes at her._

_"Because, it signifies that you're mine; and isn't that what a boyfriend gives his girlfriend to show they're a couple or something?"_

_"Are we a couple?"_

_"Yes, but we don't have titles like boyfriend and girlfriend."_

_"And why not?"_

_"Because that's just so-so poofy." He shivered in disgust with an added 'eughck'. _

_"Right..." _

_"Happy Christmas."_

"...let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

She looked to the door immediately.

_"Mmm," he groaned and wrapped his arm around her waist and hugged her to him. "I don't think I'm ever going to let you go."_

_"I think I can live with that," she told him._

_"Good," he said as his hands ran along her nude body next to his. "I like the thought of you with me forever," he told her before he placed a kiss on her lips._

_"It is a very entertaining thought, isn't it?"_

_"Mmm, that it is. So does this mean we can skip class all day?"_

_"It most certainly does not," she huffed indignant._

_"Hm, too bad, I seem to recall you agreeing with me never letting you go; and since I don't plan on getting out of bed, and you're going to be stuck in my arms that means you and I will be lying in here all day doing only Merlin knows what." He smirked. _

_"Well," she said before she gave him a peck on the lips. "Only if you promise to never let go of me." _

_"I promise." He smirked. "Wait," he sat up, his torso twisting so he could face over her. "Really?"_

_She laughed and pulled him down on top of her. _

_"No."_

He didn't come.

She stared at the doors the entire length Dumbledore gave for anyone who thought she and Ron shouldn't be married.

He didn't come.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

_"Ron's coming back."_

_"What?" _

_"Ron, he's coming home," she spoke softly._

_"When?" His voice was hard._

_"He'll be here the day before graduation."_

_"Why?"_

_"I told you at the beginning of the year, we made promises-"_

_"Yeah, well I figured those were shot to hell after this happened!" He exploded. _

_"After what happened? What exactly would you call this, Malfoy?" She screamed back at him. _

_"After we happened!" He stopped shouting for a minute to calm his breath. "I would call this love, Granger. Did we not decide this already, oh say, every night since the half way through the school year?"_

_"Sex and love are two different things, Malfoy." _

_"It wasn't just sex, Granger." He fell to his knees in front of her and grabbed her hands. "Every time I was making love to you."_

_She closed her eyes and a tear escaped through the closed lids. _

_"Did you not-did you not feel the same?" He asked quietly. "I thought - I mean you told me you loved me. You told me you were mine forever. You said those words countless times!" He stood up and began yelling again. "So what are you just going to leave me now?" _

_"I have to, I can't stay with you." _

_"No," he whispered. "No-no-no you can, you can though, you don't have to go the weasel. Please, Granger, don't leave me. You don't have to go."_

_"I do, I have to go. This thing between us can't exist anymore."_

_"No, please, Granger-Hermione. Please, Hermione, don't..."_

_She turned her head from him and shut her eyes. _

_"You're just going to leave then? After everything, after you made me fall in love with you, after you made me believe you loved me too?"_

_"I do love you!"_

_"That's bloody rich, Granger. If you truly loved me you'd stay with me."_

_"And if you truly loved me you'd let me go and be happy. You would want me to be happy." _

_"I told you once that I'd never let you go and I mean to keep that promise."_

_"Please, Malfoy, I have to go with Ron, it's what's best for both of us."_

_"How can you say that?"_

_"Please-"_

_"No-"_

_"We can't be happy together. There's not a chance with the way our futures are to separate."_

_"But isn't that what you girls are always on about when it comes to romance and love; that if we're together nothing else matters?" _

_"I'm sorry, Malfoy."_

_"Me too, because I'm not going to rest until you realize you're meant to be with me."_

_"I'm meant to be with Ron! Just give it up already Malfoy, you and I are _not_ meant to be." _

_"Tell me, then," he said standing a fraction of an inch from her. "Tell me that this past year hasn't been the happiest of your life and that you'd be happier with Weasley than with me. You said it a moment ago, let me hear it again. Look me in the eyes and tell me. Let me hear the words that you will be happier with him."_

_She was silent for a moment._

_"I will be happier with Ron." _

_He nodded, his face turning to a stone mask, his emotions hid well behind. _

_"Are you sure of this?" His voice was all business._

_"Yes." She regretted the words the moment they came out of her mouth. She had to push this through though. "Just let me be happy."_

_"Okay," she heard him say. _

_"Okay?" Her breathing increased and she began to fear she had made a big mistake._

_His mask slipped for a moment and she saw his hurt, but then the mask was up and her eyes watered. _

_"Goodbye, Hermione." _

_The tears ran down her cheeks and she placed her hand over her mouth to cover her sobs. _

_She tried to convince herself that this was how it was supposed to be. She had to be with Ron. They had known this from the beginning._

_He was walking away from her when he stopped and for a moment she had hope that he hadn't given up just yet. Then his hand went to his neck and paused for a moment. _

_She rubbed her eyes with her hands, wiping away her tears and missing him yank his hand down. _

_Her eyes followed his hand when saw it move back to his side and saw a flash of silver drop. _

_He continued walking and didn't look back. _

_She walked over to see what had dropped from his hand and recognized the elfish designed chain, except it was broken in the middle. _

_She dropped to her knees and could no longer hold back the sobs that rocked her body or the tears that wet her cheeks and dampened the earth below her as the flowed freely off her face and through her hands._

It was her fault she wasn't with him. He had been all for them staying together, forgetting the fact that their friends and families were at war with one another and that their union would create a major rift in the whole war.

But she knew that moment would come, the moment where she would have to tell him that, where she would have to go back to Ron.

She knew she never should have gotten attached.

"_I told you before, Malfoy, and this'll be the last time I tell you again," she told him as he kissed the side of her neck. "I can't be with you."_

"_You can, though, Granger," he mumbled against her skin. _

"_This isn't wise. I told you that I have Ron coming back for me at the end of the year."_

"_Screw Weasley," he said as he pulled off his shirt and started unbuttoning hers. He paused for a moment. "On second thought, please don't." He resumed his previous antics. _

"_Please, Malfoy," she begged as he nibbled on her earlobe. _

"_Seriously?" He pulled back. "You want it here and now?" _

_She rolled her eyes. _

"_No, you git," she sighed. "This can not happen."_

_And then he kissed her. _

She could've prevented it. She could've -

"Now the couple would like to read the vows they wrote for each other. Mr. Weasley would like to go first."

"Hermione," he began and she felt her eyes water.

_"Hermione," he breathed against her shoulder as he plunged in and out of her. _

_She gasped and a new sensation came over her. It was the first time he had called her Hermione and just the sound of it rolling off his lips was enough to make her cry out in pleasure. _

_Her moans echoed the room._

_"Gods Hermione," he groaned as he drove into her harder and faster._

_"Oh, Merlin, Draco," she gasped. _

_He groaned when he heard her call him by his first name. _

_He quickened his pace, her moans egging him on. _

_Her breathing increased and her moans became louder. _

_"Oh," she gasped. "Oh, Draco." _

_He sped up more, finally pushing her over the edge._

_"I love you," she whispered as he groaned and released. She said it so quietly, hoping he didn't hear it._

_Her rapid breathing slowed after a few moments and she turned to him a smile on her lips. _

_"That was," she searched for the right word, "fun."_

_He smirked._

_"It was more than fun," he told her as he pulled her to him. "It was amazing."_

_She sighed contentedly and hooked a leg over his as she laid her head on his chest, her drawing circles on his abs._

_"Mmm," she responded. _

_He watched as her eye lids fluttered shut. _

_"Get some sleep," he said. "You're going to be sore tomorrow."_

_She snorted. _

_"Arrogant little..." she trailed off. _

_Her breathing became patterned, a sign of showing her slumber. _

_He looked at her; she was, without a doubt, beautiful. She was perfect, except for the fact that her blood was as impure as a filthy muggle's. But he wouldn't think about that now, no, because he couldn't live with out her, dirty blood or not. The painful thought of her leaving him for the weasel entered his mind. He knew her well enough that weather or not she loved him as she claimed, she would still do what was right, what was best, for her side, for her people. _

_His hold on her tightened and she whimpered in her sleep. He knew that if the weasel came for her now she would leave him, because that was what would be expected of her. _

_His chest ached and he knew. He knew with perfect clarity that she wouldn't be his much longer. So tonight, he would spend the whole night just looking at her, watching her every move, her every sigh, every little thing about her would not go unnoticed. _

_Unless...unless of course - he did have half a year, after all. Yes - yes, he would spend the next half of the year showing her all the reasons why she should never leave him. And then she would see, and she would stay with him forever. _

_"I love you too," he whispered._

"I do love you, I love you so much Hermione, and this past year with out you was so hard; but it just shows how strong our love really is."

_She watched as the scenery flew by the window of the train. It was going to be so hard this year without Harry and Ron, especially after beginning a relationship with Ron over the summer._

_She hated those two stupid pricks for not letting her come with them. She had no idea how they were to survive with out her, moronic little prats they were. Honestly, they needed her! Not to mention she was going to be worried sick about them every day for the whole year, even though they did promise to write letters and keep her updated. _

_Still, the compartment was awfully lonely with out either of the two buggers. Ginny had offered to sit with her, but she didn't want Ginny's pity and she knew Ginny would rather be sitting with her friends than her. So she had said she would rather sit alone with her thoughts for the ride. Ginny shrugged her shoulders as if she didn't mind, but the relief was clear in her sigh. _

_Hogwarts finally came into view and she packed up her things, having changed into her robes moments before. _

_The train stopped with a jolt and she grabbed her things to hurry off and get an open carriage._

_She heard Hagrid's calling of the first years and headed off in the opposite direction, not feeling in the mood for a chat at that moment. _

_Someone bumped into her and her bags fell to the ground._

_"Watch where you're-" the person had turned to her and when they locked eyes all of his words stopped. _

_For a moment they just stared, the chatter of students around them quieted by the silence of their moment. _

_Someone then bumped into him and jutted them back to reality, the noise of the students brought back to their ears. _

_"Try to be more careful next time, Mudblood," he hissed._

_"Or you could watch where you're going instead, Ferret," she snapped back. _

_She bent down to quickly gather her things, and with a last glare she disappeared into the throng of students._

"...and I want you to know that I'm going to do everything I can to make you happy, for the rest of our lives together. I take you, not only to be my wife, but to be the love of my life where not even death can do us part."

Well, if she thought about it, it was kind of sweet. At least it showed he loved her. But she knew that if it had been _him_ there, they wouldn't have needed words at all.

"Now, the bride will say her vows."

"Well," her voice came out scratchy so she cleared her throat and gave a nervous laugh.

Her hand went up to her neck where she fingered his chain beneath her dress. She had sworn to herself she would wear it always.

She closed her eyes and visualized the words she had prepared before dutifully reciting them. This was the worst part, saying all of this emotional stuff in front of others.

_"Do you ever shut up?" His harsh voice came from two tables over. _

_She had been sitting in the library doing a research paper for Ancient Ruins, speaking out loud her thoughts and notes when he interrupted her. Of course she had been oblivious to the fact that she was speaking out loud._

_"I-I'm sorry?" She looked affronted. _

_"Shut your bloody mouth," he spat out at her. _

_"Excuse me," she gasped and turned her whole body in her chair to face him. "I haven't been speaking though."_

_"Are you deaf, little mudblood?" _

_"Excuse me?" She repeated, anger boiled in her veins. _

_He got up from her chair and leaned over his table, fists resting on the top and propping him up. _

_"You keep mumbling stupid little tidbits!" He growled. "It's not even the whole sentence either! It's just little bits that don't make sense." His anger seemed to calm to what seemed disbelief. "As if I didn't think you were crazy before." He shook his head and sat back down going back to his own work._

_She stared at him for a minute, confused. She opened her mouth to say something but figured it wasn't worth it and she should just drop it. _

_She turned back to her work, facing away from him. _

_"Bloody little...pfft...he thinks..." she scoffed. _

_He looked up and stared at her in what was in fact disbelief this time. _

_"Are you kidding? Is that some kind of joke?" _

_She turned around to face him, this time standing up. _

_"What? Do you have another problem with me, Ferret Face?"_

_"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do. There you go mumbling incoherent sentences again." _

_"Well if you have a problem with it why don't you just go back to your own quarters then? Hmm?" _

_"Because I'm supposed to be able to work in peace in the library."_

_"Oh bullocks." _

_"You know what, Granger," he hissed. _

_She looked directly into his eyes with out noticing that during their little rant they had subconsciously moved closer to each other. _

_"What, Malfoy? Have you finally decided that you're intelligent act is over and that you're no use trying to be smart because, let's face it, you're not. So run along, you slimy little Slytherin rat. Oh, I'm sorry, you slimy little Slytherin _ferret_."_

_They glared at one another for a moment before he grabbed her arms and pulled her towards him and into a passionate kiss._

"...and I-" she took a deep breath, this was it, this was where she was supposed to say she loved him and finish it up. "I want to make you happy for the rest of our lives, and I hope that this marriage is everything that you wanted," _because it sure as hell isn't for me. _

She almost gasped, but was able to keep her mouth shut and restrain her hand from covering her mouth. She was lucky she hadn't said that out loud. Well, she never had had a way with words.

Besides, she just couldn't say she loved him; she couldn't lie to him and everyone else like that.

_"You know, mum almost made me marry Pansy," he told her as he played with her bushy hair, both of them lying on the floor of the Room of Requirements after a long night together._

_"Parkinson?" She asked in disgust._

_"Hey, Pansy would have made the perfect wife, and she's not half bad," he said. _

_Her chest ached at the thought of him being content with marrying stupid Parkinson._

_"So, why'd you tell your mum no?" She wanted to know as she turned over to face him._

_"Because, well for one, I don't really like weddings. The whole speaking in front of people about your lovey-dovey relationship and how, oh you love this person and you want to be with them forever and then having to tell everyone and then mothers start crying and it's all just a mess."_

_She laughed. _

_"I completely agree. I never really want to get married. I mean I have nothing against spending the rest of your life with someone but just somehow the whole marriage and being legally bound together makes me feel so-so-" she searched for the right word._

_"Trapped?"_

_"Yes." She smiled and met his eyes. "That's exactly it. Besides, I'm the least eloquent person on this planet."_

_"Ah, second to least eloquent, actually." _

_"Oh, really? Pray tell, who is the least then?"_

_"That would be me."_

_She scoffed._

_"Besides, if you love someone enough to bind yourself to them forever you don't need words to express that, hell your actions should be enough."_

_"Again, I completely agree." _

_"Mmm," he responded as he tenderly kissed her shoulder and moved on to her neck. _

_She reveled in the feel of his affections._

_"Hey, wait a second." She pushed him back for a moment. _

_"Yes?" He sighed impatiently. _

_"Well, you said 'for one' when explaining why you didn't marry Parkinson. Was there a second reason?"_

_"Yes," he said and then looked at her. It was obvious she didn't know the second reason. "I thought you were supposed to be smart."_

_"Well that can't be the reason."_

_He gave her a look and she sighed. _

"_Apparently I'm the brightest witch of the age, what's your point?"_

_"Well, then you should've figured it out by now, know-it-all."_

_"Or, you could just tell me."_

_He sighed, rolled his eyes and then leaned over her to whisper in her ear._

_"It's because I fell in love with you," he whispered as he nibbled on her ear. "Dummy," he added._

She gasped as realization sunk in. He hadn't married who his side wanted him to marry for her, yet she left him the moment her side asked her to.

And that's when it hit her, she couldn't say to Ron that she loved him because, well, she didn't, but because she didn't want to lie; and that's what this whole thing was. A lie. Their love was a lie, her wedding, her wedding which would've never happened if she had chosen _him_ because he knew her and he knew she didn't want this, was a lie, her being there was a lie. She wasn't in love with Ron, and that was a given, and even though she wanted to do what her side wanted her to, she couldn't. She was too in love with their enemy.

"And now the exchanging of the rings," Dumbledore spoke to the group of people. "Will the ring bearer please step forward?"

Harry, who, of course, Ron chose as the best man (and ring bearer because they didn't trust anyone else with their rings), brought forth the rings.

"Do you, Ronald Weasley, take Hermione Granger to be your legally and magically bound wife, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

Ron looked at her with a smile and then back to Dumbledore.

"I do."

Harry gave her the ring, which she held in her tiny, nimble fingers. She stared at it for a moment, and then looked up at Ron, who nodded at her with a small smile.

She took the ring and slowly eased it onto his finger.

After the ring was in place Dumbledore turned to her.

"Now do you, Hermione Granger," his voice slowly slid out of hearing as her thoughts consumed most of her attention.

This was it. This was what decided her fate for the rest of her life. She turned to the crowd of people in the chapel. There were so many of them, all of them expecting her to carry on with the wedding and to go live a life happily ever after at the side of Ronald Weasley. Each one of them, looking happy as she scanned over their faces.

Her heart stopped. Everything seemed in slow motion.

He was here.

There he was, standing at the door, staring at her. His expression hard.

Why was he here?

Her heart sped up and her breathing became shallow.

He was staring directly at her and for a moment everything else was frozen, gone from their knowledge.

There was no chapel. There were no people. No Ron. No Harry. No Dumbledore. No wedding, or flowers, or the stupid white, poofy dress she was wearing. None of it.

It was him and her.

And he was right: _that was all that mattered_.

"...to be your legally and magically-"

"No," she stopped him with a breathy whisper before he could finish.

Gasps went through the chapel.

"I beg your pardon?" She turned to Dumbledore, tearing her eyes from _him_.

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling in his all knowing way.

"I said 'no'," she repeated.

Then she looked to Ron.

"Ron," She began, searching for the right words. "I am so, so sorry. Truly, you have got to believe me. At the beginning of the year you have no idea how much I just wanted this moment. How much I wanted to be here right now." Her eyes flickered to him, standing at the door way, surprise evident on his face. "But I-I know I promised you this, and I hate breaking my promises, you know I do. But I fell in love with someone else. And I think if I went through with this then everything would eventually fall apart and I don't want to lie to you, but that's all that this would be. Just a lie. I'm sorry that I can't come up with the right words to make this sound right, and really, no words could, because I can't imagine the pain you're going through right now. And I know this is wrong, I never should've let this carry on, I should've just stopped it from the beginning, but I knew this was what you wanted and everyone else wanted it," she hurried to explain and with a deep breath she continued. "Everyone except me. You'll find someone better, though. Someone who will love you the way I can't." She took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry, Ronald. Please forgive me, because if I lost you as a friend I'd be heartbroken, but I just can not go on with this lie any longer. I do love you, but I am not in love with you." She hugged him, feeling him stiffen. "I'm so sorry," she whispered again in his ear.

She pulled back to look him in the eye.

"I am so sorry," a final time.

A tear streamed down his cheek.

She turned to the crowd of people, gathered the skirt of her dress and ran.

Straight down the isle.

Straight _to him_.

* * *

**Finally, I've been waiting to finish that for like three days non stop. Sorry, it was just a random idea and it just needed to get out of my head. Actually about three-fourths of the way through writing this I had this kind of flash back to reading a story that had Hermione leaving her own wedding for someone else, and I really hope these two aren't similar at all because I really don't want to be stealing someone's idea with out even knowing it. Hopefully this is original and if it's not then, well, shit. So, aside from that, what did you all think? Please let me know all your thoughts, I am a review whore after all, yeah so sue me. No, actually please don't. For all of my readers wanting an update in The Passion Of Hate: please check my author's profile because this a/n is not about that story. Okay, I hope you all enjoyed that! Please review (this pretty much goes with out saying so I don't know why I say it hah).**

**Thanks to all who review! **

**.x.o.r.d.e.r.l.y.x.c.h.a.o.s.x.n.x.c.o.n.f.u.s.i.o.n.x.**


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